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Any BT3000 to TS3650 converts here?

04-28-2007, 03:26 PM

Anyone here switched from the Ryobi BT3000 to the Ridgid TS3650?
I have both saws. The Ridgid has several things I desired...beefier fence, big flat iron surface. But so far I can't get a very good quality cut with it.

Initially I found the blade to miter slot alignment off by .005" front to back.
Tweaking this to about .002" helped some, but even just cutting MDF it leaves a rather coarse edge. This was using a Freud 40tooth blade I've had on my other saw with good results.

It seems as if the slower motor speed might have something to do with it. Anybody got any suggestions for improvements? Is that extra .002" (if I can adjust it out) gonna make all the difference in the world?

Comment

I'm a convert, in large part out of necessity -- after thirteen years, I could no longer get the fence on the SMT to hold when working a largish piece, even after fussing with it. Kind of the last straw.

I'd prefer to have something with a riving knife like the BT3000, but don't want to pop for a Powermatic or Sawstop cabinet saw. The TS3650 seemed a real winner among contractor saws, so I decided to switch at least for a few years, depending on how the Sawstop contractor's saw and the anticipated Steel City saws with riving knives turn out.

I had a shark guard for my BT3000, and have ordered one for my TS3650. I miss the dust collection from above the table, and I'm looking forward to the short splitter Lee includes with the guard.

From time to time I do find myself looking at that big gap between the back of the blade and the standard splitter and shuddering. But the saw has been great to adjust and tweak, and so far it does seem to be more stable in this regard than my BT.

Although I was disappointed my BT3000 didn't take me another couple years, I am pleased with this saw and with this site. It's nice to switch from a saw with a passionate community behind it to one that has such a similar community supporting it.

Comment

How clean is your blade, and how sharp is it? I've read of several converts and most report great pleasure with the results. The blade speed shouldn't be a factor. How's the arbor runout?

I don't have a dial gauge to measure runout. I just used a carpenter square and feeler gauges to check blade to miter slot.

One thing I just now tried was to put on a brand new Tenryu 40 tooth blade which I got from Holbren when he was clearing them out. This is almost standard kerf, whereas the Freud was a thin kerf. This made a big difference.

When crosscutting a piece of hardwood I could feel and hear the Freud deflecting...the cut wasn't even flat, much less smooth.

The Tenryu isn't really a rip blade, but it gave pretty good results in that operation too.

The thing is, that Freud does really well in the Ryobi saw. I think the 4800 rpm versus the 3400 rpm on the Ridgid has something to do with this.

I guess it will take some time to figure out how to get the best results with a new saw...I had the Ryobi 6 years and knew it's eccentricities.

Comment

FWIW, I use a standard kerf Woodworker II, and took it off the Ryobi and straight onto the Ridgid -- never even tried the stock blade that came with the TS3650. No issues, no perceptible difference in cut quality between saws for me.

Comment

I just switched from the el cheapo box-store sale blades to a thin-kerf WWII. I got the dampener disk for the WoodworkerII blade, too. This blade cuts so clean...it's almost like using a planer!! Absolutely no saw marks on the cuts at all.

It could be a matter of you being used to the speed of the other saw and pushing the wood too fast for the 3650, or possibly the blade had warped just slightly. Without a dial gauge to check for deflection, it's nearly impossible to tell.

I hope the 3650 works out for you. I really enjoy the saw and use it very often. Now that I have the new blade, it's truly a dream of precision!

I put it all back together better than before. There\'s lots of leftover parts.